1. OBJECTIVES IN EDUCATION
The main purpose of the education system is to raise highly skilful, productive and creative individuals of the Information Age who are committed to Atatürk's principles and revolution, have advanced thinking, perception and problem-solving skills, are committed to democratic values and open to new ideas, have feelings of personal responsibility, have assimilated national culture, can interpret different cultures and contribute to modern civilization, and lean towards productive science and technology.
The versatile and comprehensive EDUCATION REFORM, which shall ensure that student-centered education is carried out in all kinds and at all levels of education in line with the requirements of the time and society, that no individual is left out of the education process for any reason, and that professional development and employment conditions of the teachers are improved, started in 1997 and is going to continue in the 2000's.

- BASIC EDUCATION, which involves Pre-Primary and primary education and is an essential prerequisite for everyone shall be realized on a nation-wide basis.

- SECONDARY and HIGHER EDUCATION, which ensures effective, efficient and continuous participation of the business community, and aims to help people have valid jobs suitable for themselves and in compliance with the needs of the time and society, shall be realized.

- CONTINUOUS EDUCATION, which shall ensure that the individuals can adapt themselves to a changing world as well as the frequently and significantly changing or developing professions, having all the society as its target population, shall be widely implemented.

1.1. GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The qualitative and quantitative objectives for the 2000's have been determined by considering the measures of developed countries, particularly of the EU and the OECD countries, and the requirements of our country. The general objectives are,

- Increasing the average education period in our country from 5 years in 1997 to at least 8 years
- To equalize the education level in our country for males and females living in rural and urban areas
- To provide equality of opportunity in all kinds and at all levels of education
- To reach the EU indicators in all levels of education
- To increase student success at all levels of education
- To develop course books and to give them functionality in all education institutions
- To increase efficiency of resource utilization in investments and current expenditures
- To make room for specialization services at all levels of the education system.

1.2. SPECIAL OBJECTIVES

It has been aimed,
- Depending on the degree to which teachers requirements are met, to increase the enrollment rate in Pre-Primary education to the level of developed countries, particularly of the EU and the OECD countries,

- Because social, psychological and mental development occurs at early ages, Pre-Primary education shall be spread all over the country, ensuring equality of opportunity.
- Depending on the balancing of population growth, to maintain the enrollment rate in the population of all ages, and to increase students' success by focusing on quality of education,
- To increase the quality of education in the primary education schools (Transportation centers, Regional Boarding Primary Schools, Boarding Primary Education Schools) that serve the students living in small settlement areas,
- To increase the quality in primary schools where combined classrooms are concerned and to minimize the number of such schools,
- To extend the Open Primary School regulation to include everyone who is past the compulsory education age and has not completed his/her primary education,
- To spread the guidance services, so as to ensure psychological and physical as well as mental development of children,
- To achieve balance all over the country starting from the areas where classroom population is above the country average,
- To provide students an opportunity to learn at least one foreign language,
- To teach a second foreign language,
- To establish workshops in all primary schools.
- To increase the period of compulsory education to 12 years, depending on the degree to which complete schooling is achieved in primary education and legal regulations are made in relation to the allocation of resources to complete the secondary education infrastructure,
- To school all the population between ages 14-17,
- To school 65% of the students in vocational technical education and 35% in other secondary education institutions,
- To restructure the system so that youths between 14-17 are prepared for a profession and/or for higher education,
- To strengthen the local organization in relation to the preparation and implementation of vocational and technical education curricula,
- To implement vocational and technical education curricula so as to ensure the attainment of international standards,
- To enable that vocational and technical school graduates may enter the vocational higher education without having to take an exam and that graduates of such higher education may be vertically transferred to undergraduate programs in their areas,

- To spread special education parallel to the requirements,
- To implement applied special education programs in order to help all special education students acquire vocational skills,

- To ensure flexibility of space, equipment, personnel and program in schools where children receiving special education shall be trained together with normally developing children, so that all students' requirements can be met,
- To help extraordinarily intelligent children with superior abilities to receive guidance and counseling support during Pre-Primary and primary education period and to provide them with suitable learning environments,

- To provide education and learning opportunities for everyone, everywhere and at all times, using the approach of information centers in remote education institutions including the requirement of one-to-one education,
- To establish a functional relationship between open education and formal education,
- To improve qualitatively and quantitatively the in-service training given to teachers,
- To improve the effectiveness of parent education,
- To support and develop all opportunities of non-formal education which is based on the adoption of lifelong learning in society,
- To increase the activities aimed at skills development and profession acquisition of the youth, particularly those who cannot attend university,
- To encourage the continuous education activities of the local governments, volunteer organizations and private sector,
- To produce services in various areas such as orientation in business areas, professions and vocational schools, utilization of manpower and entrepreneurship, citizenship, development of ethical and esthetical values, vocational

and skills training, opportunities for those who wish to change their vocation,
- to extend the target population of continuous education to include all of society.

2. STRATEGIES IN EDUCATION
2.1. GENERAL STRATEGIES
- Remote education methods shall be developed by making maximum use of technological facilities, particularly computer technology, at all levels of education.
- Computer-assisted education shall be expanded to include all levels of education, particularly primary education institutions, and schools shall be equipped with tools and equipment to meet the needs of the 21st century.
- In order to meet the teacher requirements at all levels of education, teacher training projects executed in collaboration with higher education institutions shall continue besides the existing teacher training system; also, for the areas where adequate number of teachers cannot be employed due to insufficient resources and salaries, contracted teachers shall be employed under better conditions.
- For the performance evaluation of teaching institutions, a model that includes total quality management and is based on performance measurement shall be developed.
- Financing opportunities shall be developed and existing resources used effectively in order to improve the education institutions in terms of physical infrastructure, equipment, curriculum and teachers, all of which directly influence the quality of education.

2.2. SPECIAL STRATEGIES
- In Pre-Primary education investments, priority and emphasis shall be given to areas of settlement with the lowest rate of schooling and to the metropolitan cities and industrial areas where the population growth rate is high.
- Savings shall be realized in the investment resources by opening at least one nursery in all primary schools and in secondary schools with sufficient physical capacity.
- In order to increase the number of teachers in Pre-Primary education, teachers shall be trained for Pre-Primary education institutions using remote teaching methods.
- Number of schools and classrooms shall be increased by giving priority and emphasis to the areas of settlement where classroom capacity is above the country average and where a high rate of immigration is concerned.
- Bussed Primary Education, particularly for students at 6th-8th grades, shall continue in small areas of settlement with convenient climate and transportation conditions. Children living in other areas with an inconvenient climate and transportation problems shall be educated in Regional Boarding Primary Schools and Boarding Primary Education Schools.

- Measures shall be taken to improve the quality of education in schools with combined classrooms.
- The practice of meeting the expenses of school uniform, school bag, books, notebooks, etc. of materially deprived children shall continue.
- Starting from the eight grade of primary education, vocational guidance service shall be provided and students shall be oriented to an area/section in secondary education in line with their interests, aspirations and abilities.
- A multi-program approach rather than a variety of schools shall be adopted in secondary education.
- Curricula in vocational and technical education shall be prepared on a wide and modular basis, a flexible structure shall be brought within program integrity and continuity, enabling horizontal and vertical transition and also include post-graduate studies.
- When preparing vocational and technical education curricula, all related organizations and institutions shall be encouraged to actively participate in the decision-making process.
- The practice of full-time education all year round shall continue, using the current education opportunities.
- Horizontal and vertical transition among secondary education curricula shall be improved by making use of supplementary education.
- In small settlement areas, emphasis shall be given to multi-program high schools where different curricula are implemented together.

- By establishing cooperation and integrity between vocational formal and non-formal education, the experiences gained in the market shall be utilized in educational circles.
- Special education shall focus on vocational programs.
- Infrastructure shall be prepared for applied education.
- Related enterprises from the private sector shall be encouraged.

3. NEW APPROACHES
In order to ensure that the education system can achieve its goals, reach its targets and continuously improve itself, efforts shall be made to increase effectiveness in the functioning of management processes and in decision-making mechanisms. Management Information System for Provincial and District National Education Directorates (ILSIS), which is a part of these efforts, is a management information system to be established so that the functions of the Provincial and District National Education Directorates can be executed with support from information technology. The main objective of the information system is;
In the central organization;
- to meet daily, continuous and regular requirements,
- to meet the increasing communication needs between the central and provincial organizations of the Ministry of National Education.
In the provincial organization;
- to ensure that increasing responsibilities are effectively fulfilled and to facilitate complex procedures.
- ILSIS application software consists of 11 different modules. These modules are personnel, appointments, government institutions, statistics, archive-documentation, budget-accounting, accrual, private institutions, inspection-investigation, investments and

installations, inventory and movables. These modules are designed and used so that the work of provincial national education directorates that have priority is done fast, reliably and simply. When the ILSIS project is implemented, a sound, fast and up-to-date information flow shall be achieved between the central and provincial organizations.
To ensure that organization and duties of the Ministry of National Education can meet the education requirements of our day and to make the ideal of a modern, democratic Turkey come true, studies shall be continued concerning the Organization and Duties of the Ministry of National Education Law no 3797 in order to;
- organize the central organization so that it will perform its planning, programming and inspection functions,
- organize the provincial organizations so that it will perform its executive functions,
- it will make the most efficient use of human and material resources
- it will provide fast and correct solutions to problems,
- it will employ qualified personnel to take implementation decisions.
Also, in order to make sure that the in-service training received by teachers and instructors are reflected in their personnel rights and that contracted teachers and instructors are employed where necessary, the related legislation and practices of the EU countries shall be reviewed and teaching personnel shortcomings shall be solved by encouraging people to work as research assistants to become teachers and instructors, financial and legal measures shall be taken and the necessary legal arrangements shall be made. (Eighth Developmental Five-Year-Plan for the Year 2002).

Turkish Version

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